Students help design space

In our discussion about using classroom space, Don writes:

As a corporate trainer, we sometimes have to make do with the classroom the client gives us.  Having a large column in the middle of the room or teaching in an L-shaped room are some of my favorite challenges.  Sometimes, I let the learners set the room up.  Let me explain...

I was doing team workshop for an administration that is part of the Department of Transportation.  They were having problems working together, communicating, making decisions, etc.  So, for this workshop, I made sure the classroom wasn't set up and kept the door locked until start time.  (That got them going.)  Then, when we got 'someone' to open the classroom, I walked in and exclaimed, "Oh no! The room isn't ready."  I asked the group, no one in particular, to set the room up while I went to talk to someone.  Then I stood in the background and watched how they worked together at a team, or didn't, how they communicated, who took charge, who stood there and did nothing, how they gathered ideas, how they made decisions, etc.  It was great stuff.  When the room setup was completed, I let them in on the secret and we debriefed the activity.  We then modeled process to gather everyone's input to get the best room setup and we were able to finish with a classroom layout that make more sense and satisfied everyone.